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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · wind · straw · rule · shower · arm · safe · land

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — rain
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — a country
  10. rock — music
  11. land — to come down
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. land — ground
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com